Poverty and beggars on the streets: How you deal with it?

If a person asks me for money, and I'm in the mind and standing to give it to them, I consider it. I don't think of it as doing much good in the long run, I suppose. But if I find a fella with a funny sign or someone sitting on a bench with a guitar and a change bucket who spins a little tune that I like, it's far more likely that I'll drop a few ones; not out of sympathy, but out of gratitude for entertaining me. I like to see people earning their keep, like I earned the money they want so badly.

There are two sides to the coin, of course. Some homeless people are incapable of taking care of themselves, hence why they're homeless. But then, for one thing, I can hardly help them. I don't know what they need to support themselves, only that loose change is not it. As well, consider this; most of the people who really need that help are insane or struggling with some illness. Those aren't the ones you see on the street corners asking for change, are they?

To summarize, giving money to beggars is too much of a gray area for me. There are quite a few who just want booze money, and the nobler ones can be better helped by shelters than by my single-digit sums of cash. The performers are all right by me, though.

I think this would be truer in a more classical time, but the practice is easily corruptible. Not to cast a shadow on your argument; I do agree with the sentiment, if not the practice.

 

My sentiments are more romantic than the real case may actually be, but I think if I were in the same position as those liviing in such conditions, one of the few positive thoughts that may past me could be how righteous I still am even in the muck.
I know that that lifestyle isn't far for any of us, the line between home shelter and homlessness is very thin to what many might believe.

 

In New York, we're notorious for being "cold-hearted." Not too long ago in one neighborhood was a homeless man literally dying on the street (he was bleeding) screaming for help, but since it was night, no one could really see the blood and just thought he was crazy, people just walked by him until he died.

I've always been caring for the homeless, but an event like that made me especially want to be helpful towards them to prove the cold-heartedness attribute wrong. Still, I'm always careful because theres no denying that some people try to just get money for drugs and what not. Recently though I have not given much money to anyone homeless, mainly because at the time I barely have money myself (to give).

 

I say the best thing to do is to carry a bag of food every once in a while (doesnt have to be a big bag or have expensive food) and hand some out to the beggers. Money is not very good to give because they might spend it on drugs, alcohol, etc. If you do this they will be very grateful. Just make sure your parents are ok with it, and not to make frequent visits because they might get clingy to you.

 

Where I live you can't exactly give any money away unless your at a homeless shelter because people trick you. I saw this one 'homeless' guy in the city once begging for money, I felt bad so I gave him $5 dollars. Later on inwalk out and see him whip out a iPhone, call it, a few minutes later a very nice car pulls up and he gets in it laughing, then he sees me standing there, he gives this huge smirk so I turn around flip him the bird and walk away.

So you can see why I don't give my money to people begging, it could be a trick. Anything really,
A ride, money. But if someone was dying on the street I'd be calling 911, no one can fake blood.

But anyways, I don't think this coldhearted, this is your safety and saving your money. You really never never know if it's a trap, which is sad cause I feel sorry for the people who really are poor and homeless.

 

It's unfortunate that we can't trust everyone, but technically it's their decision. You give them the money earnestly, and they do what they will with it. If they need it for a ride to a homeless shelter, then that's great! If they use it to buy drugs then that's their decision. We really shouldn't assume that every homeless person will abuse the money that's given to them. That's just rude. If you were homeless and people offered you either nothing because you looked suspicious then how would you feel?